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The following year an official proposal was made for the creation of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. New Zealand, where Adriano, Landon Donovan, Michael Essien, and Pepe Reina had flowered in the boys’ equivalent in 1999, won the right to provide its primary platform in 2008.

Did anybody – honestly – imagine the first decade could have been such an enthralling chart-buster?

Its five editions have averaged a whopping 3.6 goals per game, with Trinidad & Tobago 2010 averaging almost four goals per game. Japan have, staggeringly, scored 3.77 goals per game, including the unbelievable Kumi Yokoyama effort which snatched victory over Korea DPR in the 2010 semi-finals. It was juxtaposed with solo goals by Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, and nominated for that year’s FIFA Puskás Award.

It’s far from the only wonder goal the U-17 Women’s World Cup has harvested. Others include the Lee Jungeun and Lee Sodam belters for Korea Republic in the 2010 final, Janae Gonzalez’s volley for Mexico in 2014, Tahicelis Marcano’s thunderbolt for Venezuela in 2014, and countrywoman Deyna Castellanos’s strike from kick-off in 2016, which came third in the following year’s FIFA Puskás Award running behind Olivier Giroud.

They’ve been watched by some surprisingly big crowds – among the spectators David Beckham, J-Lo, Xavi and Shakira. Ten U-17 Women’s World Cup matches have attracted over 25,000, with a record 34,453 watching Costa Rica-Venezuela in 2014.

Education is elemental, but the vast majority of FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup graduates are enjoying fruitful careers in football. Lucy Bronze, Deyna Castellanos, Sara Dabritz, Pernille Harder, Dzsenifer Marozsan – all of whom have been nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Player since 2016 – are among them. So, too, are FIFA Women’s World Cup™ winners Mana Iwabuchi and Morgan Brian, two-time German Women’s Footballer of the Year Alexandra Popp and Ji Soyun, who became Korea Republic’s all-time leading markswoman when she was just 23.